The project is based off of the need for play in a child's development. Unfortunately, our school systems are punishing children by removing their recess time. Not only is this causing more behavioral issues, it could be interfering with developmental growth. The presentation will explain the negative impact that removing a child's recess could be causing.

Our lab group (involving seven Coker students this semester) seeks to isolate and characterize genes involved in asexual development (conidiation) using the model fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Towards this goal, we applied phenotypic screens to identify developmentally impaired mutants of F. graminearum that exhibit atypical responses to environmental cues (e.g., light and osmotic stress) during conidiation. This presentation will provide insights into the specific contributions made by the two of us during our freshman year at Coker College. Furthermore, we will discuss ideas developed for possible future experiments.

This presentation will address various problems associated with prescription medication, including sections on amphetamine-salts, and opioid-analgesics. I will briefly cover some lawsuits, and legislation concerning prescription drugs.

The purpose of this research project was to make a simple and effective way to create and present large numbers of mathematical questions in Blackboard. Using MATLAB programming as well as mathematical formatting languages such as Mathematics Mark-up Language ( MathML ) we created over three thousand questions that are currently being used for the Mat 101 course this semester.

The increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is quickly becoming a critical issue for the long-term sustainability of current ecosystems on Earth. However, new materials designed to capture and store CO2 show promise in alleviating this issue. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing CO2 produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and other chemical processes and storing the CO2 to prevent it from entering the atmosphere. The most promising materials designed for CCS employ nitrogen-containing organic rings at the active sites. For this reason, our laboratory is interested in studying the interactions of these organic rings with carbon dioxide. The first step in studying the interactions of organic rings with CO2 is that we must first study the rings by themselves. In the case of this project, we have studied the 3.5 – 18 GHz region of the microwave spectrum of 3-iodopyridine. The analysis of this experiment allows us to determine the rotational constants, which provide information on the structure of the molecule. The rotational constants were determined to be the following: A = 5837.925 MHz; B = 754.969 MHz; and C = 668.451 MHz. The quadrupole coupling constants were also determined. Ab initio computer calculations were also performed in support of the laboratory data.

Around 600,000 to 800,000 individuals are trafficked across America’s boarders annually. This is a staggering figure for something the world supposedly abolished many years ago. This form of modern day slavery looks like it is growing very rapidly. With the borders of America closing due to the terrorist’s threats, more of local children are being brought into the business of prostitution. Over 100,000 of America’s children are introduced to prostitution and trafficking each year. The average age for a new recruit is eleven years old. Lacy is a twelve-year-old girl from a small mid-western town, who gets caught up in the shady life in Las Vegas. Lacy is now in a rehab center and working with social workers on her problems.

My presentation covers bullying and juvenile delinquency. I present my study based on an examination of the Life Course Theory. My argument is that if bullying is a deviant behavior, then the principles of life course criminology, specifically turning points and hooks for change, will predict whether or not bullies engage in chronic delinquency as the move into adulthood. As a part of my project I suggest a possible law and intervention program to help combat the issue of bullying.

My family has owned a flower nursery in SC for many years. After taking plant pathology class and considering my family business I decided to know a little bit more on the common practices associated with ornamental nurseries in the area. Four greenhouses were inquired to see if they would provide information on how they run their nurseries. The four greenhouses that accepted were C & C Greenhouses (Hartsville, SC), Rodger’s Nursery (Sumter, SC), Bruce’s Greenhouses (Chesterfield, SC), and Morgan’s Nursery (Columbia, SC). I traveled to each of their nurseries where they allowed me to interview them while they were running their business. A survey of 20 questions were constructed to be answered by the head growers of each establishment. The first half of the survey involved questions that relate to the crop/plant management such as fertilization schedule, fertilizers type and common practices. The second half of the survey involved questions on disease management, disease incidence and crop loss reports. After all of the surveys were answered by the growers, the practices were compared and contrasted to one another. I found that most of the practices that the growers used to produce and maintain their crops were very similar to one another. The growers also had some of the same diseases to infest their crop.

In this paper I will want to focus on the representations of three different kinds of female editors in the editing world. The three styles of editors that be discussed are editors in the magazine, newspaper, and book industries. There will be a background analysis of how women are portrayed in this field in both the real and fictional worlds. My main research is focused on the three "real world" editors, Jill Abramson (NY Times former editor), Anna Wintour (VOUGE editor) and Barbara Marcus (Publisher of Random House's Children Books). By looking at these three women I will conduct an analysis on how they are portrayed by society (media) in regards to their positions of power within their particular industries. In addition I will look at popular culture (films, shows, books) to see how they portray women in the editing world. By looking at the stereotypes in popular culture I will relate them back to how Abramson, Wintour, and Marcus are similarly portrayed in the "real world".

The purpose for my research was to find out what the true definition of a sneakerhead is, in addition to finding out what are the criteria, motives and purpose behind the art of collecting sneakers. The art of collecting limited edition, special edition and the latest sneakers have taken on a form of its own. It has developed into a subculture of its own, the Sneakerhead subculture. According to Michael Malan, Sneakerheads are individuals who are extremely prideful and dedicated in their hobby of collecting sneakers (2009). Why do sneakerheads collect sneakers? Is it for self expression, a good investment, is it because their friends do it? Those individuals who own/collect limited edition, special edition and the latest sneakers would be more likely to do so because they use sneakers as a method of self expression. Sneakerheads are driven by impulse to travel far and wide to major cities across the world to obtain their sneakers (Dugan Nichols 2011). Sneakerheads also hold sneaker conventions, which are casual social gatherings where attendees sell, trade and buy sneakers. Certain criteria must be met in order for one to be considered a Sneakerhead.

Birds must preen their feathers to ensure the precise placement and position of the barbules that make up each feather. While preening, the bird accesses the uropygial gland located at the base of the tail, which usually contains either wax (waterfowl) or oil components (passerines). There is evidence that constituents of the uropygial gland secretions prevent the growth of certain bacteria such as Bacillus licheniformis. We found that passerines in the inland areas of South Carolina might be better able to inhibit B. licheniformis than passerines found in coastal areas of South Carolina. In an effort to identify how and why birds in inland environments are able to inhibit this bacterium, this project looks at whether foraging techniques correspond to a bird’s ability to inhibit B. licheniformis. Specifically we predict that ground foragers will have the highest ability to inhibit the bacterium, opportunistic foragers will have an intermediate ability to inhibit the bacterium, and arboreal foragers will have the lowest ability to inhibit the bacterium. Sampling has occurred since November 2014 in Darlington County, South Carolina. The target species will be captured via passive and target (using play black) mist netting. Lab techniques acquired through our previous study will be used to obtain bacterial inhibition rates for each sample. The project will be completed by March 2015. Samples collected so far range from an average growth inhibition of -219344% to >99%. In particular, 8 samples from North American Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) showed high levels of inhibition of growth (80->99%).

Kalmia latifolia L. is a perennial flowering shrub belonging to the botanical family Ericaceae. It is commonly found in the eastern United States, including North and South Carolina. In this experiment the antimicrobial properties of Kalmia latifolia extracts were tested against the bacterial pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Material from the leaves was extracted using ethanol. The solvent was removed and the remaining material was re-dissolved in water. Using solvent-solvent extraction petroleum ether, chloroform, methylene chloride and ethyl acetate extractions were performed on the aqueous solution. All the extracts were tested using the diffusion agar test and TLC bioautography. For the diffusion agar test, 100 µl of the selected extract was dissolved in DMSO or ethyl acetate and placed in wells cut in the LB agar medium. After bacterial inoculation, the plates were incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Control plates using DMSO and ethyl acetate were also tested to ensure the solvent was not an inhibitor of the bacterial growth. After incubation, inhibition halos were measured to quantify antimicrobial activity. The experiment was conducted twice with three replicates of each solvent extract. The ethyl acetate extract in DMSO showed significant antimicrobial activity towards S. aureus. The inhibition halo for the ethyl acetate extract dissolved in DMSO was 9.99 ± 2.324 mm, and 9.33 ± 1.625 mm for the ethyl acetate extract dissolved in ethyl acetate. The methylene chloride and petroleum ether extracts were dissolved in DMSO and had an inhibition halo of 5.896 ± 1.412 mm and 5.458 ± 1.81 mm respectively. The methanol extract dissolved in DMSO had the lowest antimicrobial activity with an inhibition halo of 3.7083 ± 2.16 mm. TLC bioautography was conducted using the various extracts against Escherichia coli. The TLC bioautography results were inconclusive. Further research must be conducted to find a method of experimentation that yields definitive results.

Over the course of the semester, I have been building a RepRap Mini-Kossel 3D printer. While the build is still in progress, the completed printer will be able to 3D print a variety of three dimensional mathematical objects, such as a Klein bottle (two-dimensional manifold intersecting itself), Boy’s Surface (self-intersecting real projective plane), and Trefoil knot (simplest nontrivial knot). I have learned the software required to design these objects. These objects will assist mathematics students with the understanding of dimensions, embedding, manifolds, and knot theory. The ability to design and print three dimensional objects of any shape is extraordinarily useful for engineers and researchers alike. The ability to print these shapes introduces another dimension to learning, enabling students to physical hold the objects they are studying and allows them to use their spatial reasoning and tactical sense to understand various concepts in mathematics. The printer will also be capable of self-replication, meaning it can print all of the parts required to build another 3D printer. At the conclusion of the project, the printer will be free to use to various students, benefitting students in art (graphic design), mathematics, and biology (biofabrication).

Though coyote (Canis latrans) are a relatively novel predator to the southeastern United States, increases in coyote populations have coincided with a decrease in the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. This study will document the extent of coyote predation on white-tailed deer fawn recruitment within the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in McBee, South Carolina. Coyote scat samples have been collected from the refuge from May 2010 to December 2014, and will be collected from January 2015 to March 2015. The scat will be distinguished from the waste of other predators based on appearance and the possible presence of tracks near the waste. The samples will be collected in paper bags and labeled with the location and date of retrieval. The location of the sample will be determined using a GPS. All samples will be brought back to Coker College and frozen until processing. When processed, the samples will be placed in an oven and dried at 65° C for approximately three days. Using dissecting microscopes and tools, the samples will be examined and all food material will be separated out based on characteristics (i.e. hair for mammals, feathers for avian remains, etc.) into the following prey items: mammal, reptile, insect, avian, plant and other. Once the food material has been separated, a finer scale of identification will be conducted on mammals, using skull and hair in the scat. Skull fragments can be used to identify taxa based on dental formula. The hair collected from the sample will be laundered. It will then be placed under a dissecting scope for further analysis and will be identified using a diagnostic key of hair samples. The samples will be grouped by month and randomized to ensure that the dissected material comes from different meals. The anticipated completion date for this research is March 2015. This information will help establish the effect coyotes are having on deer recruitment and will lead to a better understanding of the changes we may see in our ecosystem due to the increased presence of coyote in South Carolina.

The study I am conducting is to find out if social media cultivates the expectations that college-aged students have of their love relationships. The basis of this study it the Cultivation Theory by George Gerbner, which indicates that the more time people spend living in the television world, the more likely they are to believe the social reality portrayed on television. My research will use the theory of cultivation but not by television and instead by social media. As I delve in my research, I will study the question: “does social media have an effect on the perception that college-aged students have of love relationships and the expectations they have for their own love relationship”. My hypothesis is that social media cultivates one’s mind as a result there is a link between the perception of a relationships of college-aged students and meeting the expectations brought on by social media. The methodology for this study involves an in-depth survey on student's social media usage, their perception of other love relationships, and information about their own love relationship. The final results of this survey will be presented on an info graphic that I will create myself as an interdisciplinary section of my honors project. This project is a work in progress that will be finished by the end of the semester.